End of the week already! I'm definitely down with that. I'm sure many of you are as well. We all earned it, so let's get through Friday to enjoy it! See you in a few, short hours.

Man, it is a great week to be a Shantae fan. Earlier this week, WayForward kicked off a Kickstarter for Shantae's first console game. As if that weren't enough, today they put out a new trailer for Shantae and the Pirate's Curse, which is heading to the 3DS eShop this year. I think I've watched the trailer about 10 times now!

I have always been a fan of sprite animation. I can respect any work that goes into game making, but there's just something about sprite animation that really tickles my fancy. Thinking of animators painstakingly drawing out every bit of animation to make something fluid and gorgeous just boggles my mind.

There was a time there in the game industry where I worried that sprite animation would be a thing of the past. Devs were more interested in pushing as many polygons as possible. I didn't want to see sprite art disappear as a lost art. Thankfully, companies like Nintendo and WayForward have kept the tradition alive, not to mention the flurry of indie devs that also seem to love the old-school style.

The kind of work that WayForward does with animation just goes to show how much expression you can get out of sprites. The type of movement you get, the weight and fluid motion of a character. It's a really gorgeous thing in my eyes. This new trailer more than proves that. Watching that dance Shantae does at the 52 second mark is enough to sell me on the game alone!

I would never review a game highly because it was gorgeous but played like crap. With that said, I can still appreciate the art as its own element. Luckily for us, WayForward certainly knows how to make their gameplay as appealing as their art. How does this new trailer sit with you? Have you been convinced to save a spot on your 3DS for Shantae's next title?